The Traitor's Story

When fifteen-year-old American Hailey Portman goes missing in Switzerland, her desperate parents seek the help of their neighbor, Finn Harrington, a seemingly quiet historian rumored to be a former spy. Sensing the story runs deeper than anyone yet knows, Finn reluctantly agrees to make some enquiries. He has little to go on other than his instincts, and his instincts have been wrong in the past - sometimes spectacularly wrong.

The Cold Dish: A Walt Longmire Mystery

Introducing Wyoming's Sheriff Walt Longmire in this riveting novel from the New York Times best-selling author of Dry Bones, the first in the Longmire series, the basis for the hit Netflix original series Longmire. Johnson draws on his deep attachment to the American West to produce a literary mystery of stunning authenticity, full of memorable characters.

A Literary Christmas

Read by Juliet Stevenson and Simon Callow, A Literary Christmas is a seasonal anthology that collects together poems, short stories, and prose extracts by some of the greatest poets and writers in the English language. Like Charles Dickens’ ghosts of Christmas Past and Present, they are representative of times old and new - from John Donne’s Elizabethan hymn over the baby Jesus to Rudyard Kipling’s "Christmas in India", from Thomas Tusser counting the cost of a Tudor feast to Laurie Lee’s "Cider with Rosie".

The Magician's Elephant

When a fortuneteller’s tent appears in the market square of the city of Baltese, orphan Peter Augustus Duchene knows the questions that he needs to ask: Does his sister still live? And if so, how can he find her? The fortuneteller’s mysterious answer (An elephant! An elephant will lead him there!) sets off a chain of events so remarkable, so impossible, that Peter can hardly dare to believe it. But it is - all of it - true.

A Spy's Devotion: The Regency Spies of London, Book 1

In England's Regency era, manners and elegance reign in public life - but behind closed doors treason and deception thrive. Nicholas Langdon is no stranger to reserved civility or bloody barbarity. After suffering a battlefield injury, the wealthy, well-connected British officer returns home to heal - and to fulfill a dying soldier's last wish by delivering his coded diary.

St. Nick

When Santa Claus is a cop, you better watch out. It’s not looking like a very merry Christmas for San Diego cop Nick Pappas. Suspended from his job, alienated from his family, and persecuted by the press, he’s sorely tempted to turn his gun on himself. Except for his first name, he couldn’t possibly have less in common with jolly old St. Nicholas. But when a local mall decides it needs a secret Santa to help collar some vicious muggers preying on its holiday shoppers, Nick’s persuaded to red-suit up so as to take the naughty punks down and avert a ho-ho homicide.

Killing Trail: A Timber Creek K-9 Mystery, Book 1

When a young girl is found dead in the mountains outside Timber Creek, lifelong resident Officer Mattie Cobb and her partner, K-9 police dog Robo, are assigned to the case that has rocked the small Colorado town. With the help of Cole Walker, a local veterinarian and single father, Mattie and Robo must track down the truth before it claims another victim. But the more Mattie investigates, the more she realizes how many secrets her town holds. And the key may be Cole's daughter, who knows more than she's saying.

Medicus: A Novel of the Roman Empire

Gaius Petrius Ruso is a divorced and down-on-his-luck army doctor who has made the rash decision to seek his fortune in an inclement outpost of the Roman Empire, namely Britannia. After a 36-hour shift at the army hospital, he succumbs to a moment of weakness and rescues an injured slave girl, Tilla, from the hands of her abusive owner. And before he knows it, Ruso is caught in the middle of an investigation into the deaths of prostitutes working out of the local bar.

The Secret Garden

When Mary Lennox's parents die from cholera in India, the spoiled orphan is transplanted to her uncle's 600-year-old gloomy and secretive estate in England. She is certain that she is destined for misery at Misselthwaite Manor. However, she soon discovers an arched doorway into an overgrown garden, locked shut since the death of her aunt 10 years earlier.

The Rock Hole: A Red River Mystery

In 1964, when Ned Parker, farmer and part-time constable, is summoned to a cornfield one hot morning to examine the remains of a tortured bird dog, he discovers that there is a dark presence in their quiet community of Center Springs, Texas. Ned is usually confident handling moonshiners, drunks, and instances of domestic dispute. But when it comes to animal atrocities—which then turn to murder—the investigation spins beyond his abilities.

Miss Frost Solves a Cold Case: Jayne Frost, Book 1

Jayne Frost is a winter elf, Jack Frost's daughter, Santa Claus's niece, heir to the Winter Throne, and now private investigator. Needing someone he can trust, her father sends her to Nocturne Falls to find out why employees at a toy store are going missing. Doing that requires getting to know the town, which leads to interesting encounters with a sexy vampire, an old flame, and an elevator that's strictly off-limits. The more Jayne finds out, the more questions she has, but the answers lead her deeper into danger.

Brat Farrar

A stranger enters the inner sanctum of the Ashby family posing as Patrick Ashby, the heir to the family’s sizeable fortune. The stranger, Brat Farrar, has been carefully coached on Patrick’s mannerisms, appearance and every significant detail of Patrick’s early life, up to his 13th year when he disappeared and was thought to have drowned himself.

The Adventure of English: The Biography of a Language

This is the remarkable story of the English language; from its beginnings as a minor guttural Germanic dialect to its position today as a truly established global language. The Adventure of English is not only an enthralling story of power, religion, and trade, but also the story of people, and how their lives continue to change the extraordinary language that is English.

The Painted Veil

First published in 1925, The Painted Veil is an affirmation of the human capacity to grow, change, and forgive. Set in England and Hong Kong in the 1920s, it is the story of the beautiful but shallow young Kitty Fane. When her husband discovers her adulterous affair, he forces her to accompany him to a remote region of China ravaged by a cholera epidemic.

The Long and Faraway Gone

Lou Berney's The Long and Faraway Gone is a smart, fiercely compassionate crime story that explores the mysteries of memory and the impact of violence on survivors - and the lengths they will go to find the painful truth of the events that scarred their lives. In the summer of 1986, two tragedies rocked Oklahoma City. Six movie theater employees were killed in an armed robbery while one inexplicably survived. Then a teenage girl vanished from the annual state fair. Neither crime was ever solved.

The Professor: McMurtrie and Drake Legal, Book 1

Law professor Thomas Jackson McMurtrie literally wrote the book on evidence in the state of Alabama. But when a power-hungry colleague uses a recent run-in between McMurtrie and headstrong student Rick Drake to end his career, he is left unsure what to do next.

The One That Got Away

Graduate students Zoë and Holli only mean to blow off some steam on their road trip to Las Vegas. But something goes terribly wrong on their way home, and the last time Zoë sees her, Holli is in the clutches of a sadistic killer. Zoë flees with her life, changed forever.

Warlock Holmes: A Study in Brimstone

Sherlock Holmes is an unparalleled genius who uses the gift of deduction and reason to solve the most vexing of crimes. Warlock Holmes, however, is an idiot. A good man, perhaps; a font of arcane power, certainly. But he's brilliantly dim. Frankly, he couldn't deduce his way out of a paper bag. The only thing he has really got going for him are the might of a thousand demons and his stalwart flatmate. Thankfully, Dr. Watson is always there to aid him through the treacherous shoals of Victorian propriety.

A Cold Day for Murder: A Kate Shugak Mystery

Eighteen months ago, Aleut Kate Shugak quit her job investigating sex crimes for the Anchorage DA’s office and retreated to her father’s homestead in a national park in the interior of Alaska. But the world has a way of beating a path to her door, however remote. In the middle of one of the bitterest Decembers in recent memory ex-boss — and ex-lover — Jack Morgan shows up with an FBI agent in tow.

The Professor and the Madman

Part history, part true-crime, and entirely entertaining, listen to the story of how the behemoth Oxford English Dictionary was made. You'll hang on every word as you discover that the dictionary's greatest contributor was also an insane murderer working from the confines of an asylum.

The Valley of Fear

Only Holmes and Watson can get to the bottom of this baffling murder mystery. John Douglas is found in his study, blasted faceless by a sawed-off shotgun. There is no obvious motive or suspect. Douglas and his wife, Ivy, a rich and locally popular couple, have lived for years in the ancient, moated Birlstone Manor House. Despite Douglas' nightly ritual of raising the drawbridge, the perpetrator had somehow concealed himself, shot Douglas, and made a clean getaway.

The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood

Here are the beloved adventures of the mischievous hero Robin Hood and his brave and merry band of outlaws, who forged a chivalrous code to protect the oppressed and despoil the oppressors. Follow along as Robin makes his breathtaking escapes from his archenemy, the Sheriff of Nottingham, while classic characters like Friar Tuck, Will Scarlet, and Little John create one hilarious escapade after another.

Write to Die

Hollywood's latest blockbuster is all set to premiere - until a faded superstar claims the script was stolen from her. To defend the studio, in steps the Harold Firm, one of Los Angeles's top entertainment litigation firms and as much a part of the glamorous scene as the studios themselves. As a newly minted partner, it's Rory Calburton's case, and his career, to win or lose.

Exploring J.R.R. Tolkien's 'The Hobbit'

The Hobbit is one of the most widely read and best-loved books of the 20th century. Now Professor Corey Olsen takes listeners deep within the text to uncover its secrets and delights. Chapter by chapter, he reveals the stories within the story: the dark desires of dwarves and the sublime laughter of elves, the nature of evil and its hopelessness, the mystery of divine providence and human choice, and, most of all, the transformation within the life of Bilbo Baggins.

Publisher's Summary

The Sign of Four is the second story by Conan Doyle about the exploits of Sherlock Holmes.

From the moment Mary Morstan tells Holmes about the mysterious disappearance of her father and the yearly gift of a pearl from an unknown benefactor, Holmes and his companion Watson are involved in an exotic tale of stolen treasure, secret oaths and murder, culminating in a breath-taking chase down the Thames. Holmes is on top form, and Watson falls in love. David Timson won the Audiobook of the Year Award for his reading of this, the first Sherlock Holmes novel.

If you're unfamiliar with this story, you can't do better than to choose this virtuoso narration by David Timson. It's astounding, even for an actor whose narrations are consistently of the highest quality.

A lovely young lady comes to Holmes to help her solve a mystery: she has been receiving a pearl of great price each year from an anonymous donor.

You'll see Holmes at his best and worst, Watson at his most chilvalrous and romantic. An eccentric valetudinarian, a gang of criminals, foreign lands, violence, adventure, and a man with a most unusual sidekick all figure in this engaging tale.

Highly recommended to all who love Victorian classics and good mysteries!

I am a big fan of David Timson's audio performances, he makes it look easy! He lends terrific narration to Watson, Holmes and all of the other characters in The Sign of Four. I hadn't read this story in quite a while and it was relieving to see it was as good as I remember it! The violins that accompany the end/beginning of each part really adds to the performance. This story is highly recommended - don't hesitate and get it now!

This seemed to have been a week when I was destined to listen to unknown works by two authors I enjoy (See my review of Double Star by Robert Heinlein).

The narration of The Sign of Four was very good. He varied the characters voices so that you had a good image of each one. Discovering the meeting and romance of John Watson and Mary Marston was also enjoyable.

The book does fall down in middle, however, and never really recovers. The first half is classic Holmes and Watson and they quickly resolve the mystery. The second half is devoted to the culprit giving a detailed and (to my mind) tedious back story of the events that led up to the story's two murders.

As with Double Star, I bought this audio book as a daily deal but it wasn't nearly as good a bargain as that book. Given the low price, I felt reasonably satisfied with it. However, I wouldn't recommend purchasing it at full price or with a credit.

This is still early Holmes, so Moriarty hasn't appeared yet, but we do have Inspector Lestrade, and the Baker Street Irregulars, and Holmes's infamous "Seven percent solution."

Sherlock Holmes is a series which I think is better done in the various modern reimaginings than going back to the original source material, which rereading as an older and more experienced adult, one realizes was very Victorian pulp fiction and frequently a bit more silly than I remembered from reading the entire collected Sherlock Holmes as a child.

That's not to say I don't still enjoy the stories, but whereas I thought Sherlock Holmes was cool as heck when I was a kid, and I can still appreciate all the tropes Sir Arthur Conan Doyle brought into the genre, Holmes is basically a morose, smug misanthrope who, by his own admission, takes cocaine and heroin to dull himself to the boredom and general unsatisfactoriness of the world, when he isn't engaged on a case. So we find him at the beginning of this, his second case, with Watson mustering himself to offer a tepid criticism of Holmes's drug habit, which Holmes breezily blows off until a case appears.

The Sign of the Four begins with a young lady in search of her father, who disappeared ten years ago. It turns out to be a story of betrayal and lost treasure, in this case a treasure secreted out of Raj India. There's a blowgun-wielding aboriginal tribesman described in delightfully racist British purple prose, and other things that will prick the PC sensibilities of the modern reader, but let's just accept that Holmes and Watson are men of their time (and in fairness, it's usually other people describing Indians and island tribesmen as inhuman savages).

Like the first Holmes story, A Study in Scarlet, the last part of this story is narrated by one of the secondary characters, describing the backstory, and having nothing to do with Holmes and Watson until they arrive on the scene years later.

The Sign of the Four ends with Watson engaged, which I actually did not remember from reading the books way back when. So, does he end up getting married, or does Doyle engineer some tragic demise for his perfect flower of Victorian womanhood? I guess I need to pick up the next story...

I am shamed to admit that although I am 36 years of age, I have previously only read one Sherlock Holmes story (The Hound of the Baskervilles). I have decided to remedy that. This was my first go. Obviously a classic for a reason, Sherlock Holmes is a pretty great character. A brilliant jerk. The mystery was good as well. I found it very enjoyable. Unfortunately, as I have only read 2 Sherlock stories, I can't give any expert comparative opinions. I did enjoy The Hound of the Baskervilles more than this one, but this story was still great. I did enjoy the narrator. Sometimes I find that narrators often miss the mark when performing the classics. They sound stuffy or pretentious. This narrator was pleasant to listen to. I'm off to a good start.

It was scary, creepy, entertaining as well as enlightening. I had forgotten that India and the military postings there had such an effect on Great Britain in so many categories. The story was so well written and portrayed that it was a real joy to listen to. It is well worth the credit or the money to get it. I look forward to hearing more of Sir Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes mysteries.

I purchased this 4.5 hour book during a recent Audible Daily Deal, and I'm quite pleased with my purchase! A typical Holmes mystery - "G" rated, as you would expect. A very comfortable listen. My first experience listening to David Timson. Fantastic narrator - I will look for him in the future. And Dr. Watson falls in love! Very nice read - I highly recommend it if you like cozy mysteries!

I have started to realise what an obnoxious prig Sherlock Holmes is - I think that the age in which this was written has been outgrown, and we have moved on from the attitude of the day. I must say that this is the first time I have really realised what an obnoxious prig the man is, everything is about 'How clever I am' - as I say, time has moved on!

An OK mystery, nicely read - but my last Sherlock Holmes I fear!

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Jack

12/27/16

Overall

Performance

Story

"Exceptionally interesting"

A first class story and the narration was one of the best I've listened to for a while.I loved the goodies and disliked the villains except for one, who I felt had been hard done by.Anyone who likes a short (ish) story would like this. Ideal for a car journey.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Andy B

Glasgow, Scotland

6/28/16

Overall

Performance

Story

"Good story and dictation."

Shame about the constant interruptions in the form of musical interludes that just gave the impression of time-wasting.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Mrs Rhiannon M Reid

4/3/16

Overall

Performance

Story

"captivating"

kept my interest and the characters and story line were captivating. Great book and well read. I really enjoyed it.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

spanglypink

London, England

12/1/15

Overall

Performance

Story

"Didn't realise way a character Sherlock was!"

As it turns out Sherlock Holmes is addicted to cocaine and prone to manic episodes!

I think Conan Doyle is credited with 'inventing' the detective genre and therefore if you enjoy a good mystery it's well worth giving Sherlock a listen. The Sign of Four is no Hound of the Baskervilles but as the second book in the series it gives useful character background information.

Well worth a listen and it's fairly short so easy to get into... And feels like opening a portal into another time.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Mr. E. A. Shanks

Peebles, Scotland

11/13/15

Overall

Performance

Story

"A classic story brought to life"

Wonderfully acted the whole way through. The characters really come to life. Well worth recommending.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

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